INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
When your organization is going through a major technology transformation, your people have one question: what does this mean for me?
We partner with your change management and technology teams to make sure every employee gets a clear, honest answer. The result: less confusion, less resistance, and a workforce that's actually ready on day one.
What's the difference between change communications and internal communications?
Change communications is scoped to specific initiatives. It's role-based, focused on behavior change, and built around what each employee needs to do differently as a result of a transformation. The content is specific: what's changing for me, when and how it's changing, and where do I go for help.
Internal communications is cross-functional and ongoing. It builds awareness, engagement, and readiness across the entire organization. The content is broader: what's happening, why it matters, and how to prepare to take action.
The two disciplines are different, but they depend on each other. During a transformation, change communications tells employees exactly what to do. Internal communications makes sure those messages are aligned with the broader organizational narrative and reach people through the right channels at the right time. Without change communications, employees get generic updates that don't tell them what's different about their job. Without internal communications, change messages land in a vacuum with no connection to the bigger picture.
Confluent Strategic Communications, led by Katie Hickman and based in Minneapolis, specializes in both, building the bridge between initiative-specific change messaging and the enterprise-wide internal communications strategy that sustains engagement over time.
CHANGE COMMUNICATIONS
Scoped to specific initiatives and transformations
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
Cross-functional and ongoing communications to the organization and keystakeholders
Communications strategy and execution
We build the communications strategy for your transformation and execute it, partnering with OCM, technology, and leadership to ensure every audience gets the right message at the right time through the right channel.
Enterprise-wide communications strategy
We build a unified internal communications plan that brings clarity to what employees hear, when they hear it, and from whom, across every function and initiative in the business.
Go-live readiness communications
We partner with your OCM and program teams to translate what leaders and teams need to do differently from day one. We empower stakeholders with the right actions so they're actually prepared at go-live.
Employee engagement and culture
We build communications programs that strengthen connection, reinforce culture, and make employees feel like they're part of something, not just informed about it.
Role-specific content
"What's Changing for Me" guides, functional FAQs, and role-specific messaging that tells each impacted group exactly how their daily work is changing, what they need to do, and why it matters.
EVP development
We develop employee value propositions that articulate why people should join, stay, and grow with your organization, and embed that narrative into your internal and external communications.
Stakeholder narrative development
Shared
We build the narrative architecture that connects leadership vision to every stakeholder group, whether for a specific transformation or the ongoing story of where the organization is headed.
Executive and leader enablement
Shared
We equip your leaders with talking points, meeting guides, and communication tools so they can show up consistently, whether they're leading a transformation or running the day-to-day business.
WHO WE WORK WITH
We partner alongside your existing teams or step in when there's no team in place
Every program looks different. We meet you where you are, whether that's complementing a strong team or building the communications workstream from scratch.
OCM and change management teams
You own the change strategy, readiness assessments, and adoption planning. We become your dedicated communications workstream so your practitioners can stay focused on the work only they can do.
Implementation
Partners
Most systems integrators know the communications workstream needs specialized support. We've stepped in to replace Big Four comms teams and partnered alongside them, depending on what the program needs.
HR, IT, and program leadership
You're sponsoring or leading the transformation but don't have a communications person embedded in the program. We give you the messaging, content, and tools to keep your stakeholders informed and your leaders confident.
Organizations without a dedicated comms resource
You're running a transformation but there's no communications function on the program at all. We build the entire communications workstream from strategy through execution so you're not starting from zero three months before go-live.
WHEN TO CALL US
You might need us if...
These are the moments our clients typically reach out. If any of these sound familiar, we should talk.
Your transformation is kicking off and you want communications built into the program from day one
You know that waiting until execution to think about communications puts you behind. You want a partner at the table during planning so the narrative, channels, and stakeholder strategy are ready before the first milestone hits.
Your implementation partner is building the system but nobody's talking to your people about what's coming
The technology workstream is on track, but the communications plan is a one-page document that hasn't been updated since kickoff. Your people deserve better than finding out what's changing through the rumor mill.
Your OCM team is strong but stretched too thin on communications
Your change practitioners are focused on readiness assessments and stakeholder management. They need a dedicated communications partner who can own the messaging, content, and campaigns, not another generalist splitting their time.
You need to keep your employees connected and engaged beyond the transformation
The rollout is done, but your internal communications strategy needs to evolve to sustain engagement, reinforce new ways of working, and strengthen culture for the long run.
Every department is communicating but nobody is coordinating
HR is sending benefits updates. IT is rolling out new tools. The executive team is sharing strategic priorities. Marketing is announcing campaigns. Each team has something important to say, but without a unified internal communications strategy, employees are drowning in disconnected messages from every direction. The result is noise, not clarity. You need someone to bring it all together into a cohesive plan that tells employees what matters most, when it matters, and why.
Your employee engagement scores are telling you something and you're not sure how to respond
The data says your people feel disconnected, uninformed, or undervalued. But the solution isn't more emails or another survey. It's a strategic communications partner who can help you understand what your employees actually need to hear, build the content and channels to deliver it, and create a cadence that makes people feel like they're part of something, not just informed about it.
QUESTIONS WE HEAR MOST
Before you reach out
What's the difference between change management and change communications?
Change management is the full discipline of moving an organization from its current state to a future state, including readiness assessments, training, stakeholder analysis, and adoption planning. Change communications is the strategic messaging layer within that process: making sure every impacted employee understands what's changing, why it matters, and what they need to do differently. We focus on the communications side, partnering with the teams who own the broader change management strategy.
Do you replace our OCM team or work alongside them?
We work alongside them. Your Organizational Change Management (OCM) function or implementation partner owns the change strategy, impact assessments, and readiness planning. We translate that strategy into communications your workforce actually understands: role-specific messaging, executive talking points, multi-channel campaigns, and go-live content. Think of us as the communications arm of your change program, not a replacement for the program itself.
What types of transformations do you support?
We specialize in large-scale organizational change, including enterprise technology implementations (ERP, HCM, CRM), shared services reorganizations, mergers and integrations, and operational transformations. We also support ongoing internal communications work beyond the transformation, including employee engagement, EVP development, and culture campaigns.
How early should we bring in a communications partner?
The earlier the better. Ideally, we're involved during the strategy and planning phase so we can shape the narrative from the start. But we also regularly step into programs that are already in flight where the communications workstream needs to be built or rebuilt quickly. No matter the stage you are in, we can quickly jump in, assess what's needed, and begin actioning for your team.